CAIRO – The Embassies of India and Bangladesh in Cairo celebrated on Monday the 50th anniversary of India-Bangladesh Diplomatic relationship at Baron Palace in Heliopolis.
50 years ago on this day, in 1971, India recognised Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign State. 2021 also marks the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence, commemorating the declaration of independence on 26th March 1971.
Many prominent personalities from Egyptian think-tanks, academic circles, media houses, businessmen, and diplomatic community attended the celebration.
Members from the Indian and Bangladeshi diaspora were also present at the event. Vice Minister for Tourism, Ms. Ghada Shalaby, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.
Ambassador of Bangladesh, Mr. Monirul Islam, in his speech, thanked India for the warm hospitality and support given during the struggle in 1971. He commented that under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bangladesh and India are now in a golden era of co-operation.
Ambassador also recalled the personal bond between President Sadat and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and said that Egypt was among the first Arab countries to recognise Bangladesh. He highlighted Bangladesh’s strong commitment to an international rule based order for achieving lasting peace and stability and stressed that ‘Friendship to all and malice to none’ has been the guiding principle of Bangladesh’s foreign policy.
Citing the socio-economic progress made by Bangladesh since its formation, Ambassador said that Bangladesh intends to eliminate extreme poverty and achieve all SDGs by 2031 to become a modern, prosperous and developed economy by 2041. He also underlined the progress made by Bangladesh in the domain of woman empowerment and achieving gender parity.
Subsequently in the speech by Ambassador of India to Egypt, Mr. Ajit Gupte, he recalled the horrors of 1971 and stated that over 3 million Bengalis were brutally massacred and as much as 10 million were exiled from their very own home to India. He also spoke about how India supported their Bengali brethren, hosting them and supporting their Mukti Bahini fighters.
Ambassador Gupte mentioned that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi herself toured in many countries, garnering international support for Bangladesh’s liberation.
Ambassador recalled his tenure in Dhaka as a diplomat, and commented that Bangladesh has transformed itself from a war-torn country to a flourishing welfare state. He also highlighted the close bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh in the domains of trade and economy, connectivity, security and cited India-Bangladesh land boundary agreement and maritime agreement as living examples for how countries could resolve issues in a mature and amicable manner.
An Indian dance-drama group, Anveshana, led by Ms. Sangeeta Sharma performed during the celebration. The performance was a combination of Eastern and Western dance forms, combining the essence of yoga, classical dances and martial art forms.
Cultural performances of Bangladeshi diaspora added variety to the celebration. Exhibition of traditional art and crafts and tourism material from India and Bangladesh was also held during the event.
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